Last Tango in Hogwarts
by Utsira
Summary: A chance meeting has Hogwarts Headmistress Caroline Elliot spending quality time with the school's Runes Professor, Kate McKenzie. A 'sparks fly' joke would be too easy.
1. Chapter 1

I've put this story in the Last Tango section purely because it was written as an AU (alternate universe, ie. LTiH characters at Hogwarts) rather than a crossover (LTiH and Harry Potter characters interacting). If anybody thinks I've filed it wrongly, please let me know.

I hope everyone knows enough about HP to enjoy this. If anyone doesn't but is feeling brave, there's a short glossary at the end of the chapter for the most confusing terms.

* * *

Professor Caroline Cordelia Narcissa Celia Elliot, Order of Merlin: Third Class, former Potions Master and Head of Slytherin, and current Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was distracted.

She'd retired to her private quarters to escape the insufferable snores emanating from the portraits that hung in her office. Then, as she tried to get to work on sorting through ministerial changes to NEWTS, she found her room too quiet. She was tempted to put it off, but with the Christmas holidays approaching, the last thing she wanted was work hanging over her head. She considered that after two years of being Headmistress she should perhaps have more of a handle on the paperwork. Apparently not.

It was only mid-afternoon, but the winter equinox was approaching and, looking out of the window, she could see she sun was beginning to dip in the sky. She yawned, and caught her beautiful barn owl Graustark quietly judging her from across the room.

Caroline put down her quill. "All right, fine. I'll take a walk to clear my head, but _then_ I'm getting this sorted."

Graustark gave a low hoot and blinked in the direction of her winter robes.

"I'll be fine," she said, leaving the room, "I'll use a charm if I need it."

It was that time during the final week of term, when the pupils were still at school, but no real learning happened. At least, that was as far as Caroline could tell. In her journey down to the grounds, she passed so many roving groups of students, she wondered if any classes were taking place at all. Fortunately, the chill in the December air kept the students inside (more effectively than school rules), so as she made her way outside, she revelled in having the space to herself. The air was heavy and misty, making visibility only a few hundred feet. The Great Lake had frozen all around the edges, and what little she could make out of the Forbidden Forest looked even more bleak and threatening than usual with no leaves on the trees. She strolled along, contemplating inviting herself over to Gillian's hut for a cup of tea or something stronger, when she saw another figure making its way towards her. She reached into the pocket of her robes for father's old wand, but relaxed when the shape grew closer and took the form of Hogwarts' Professor of Ancient Runes, Kate McKenzie.

Of all the staff at Hogwarts, McKenzie was the one that Caroline knew least. There were a few teachers who'd been there so long they'd once taught her, and she'd worked alongside most of the others for many years. McKenzie had only been appointed in September, following the retirement of the ancient Professor Penrose, and while she was friendly with the staff, she mostly kept to herself. It didn't help that the classroom in which Ancient Runes was taught (and by extension, McKenzie's living quarters) were way out near the Astronomy Tower, or that Caroline had been so bowled over by the sheer volume of work required of her as Headmistress that it left very little time for socialising.

Still, though; for once she didn't have work as an excuse, and it would be impolite to not at least say hello.

* * *

Kate McKenzie, Conductor of the Hogwarts Choir and Professor of Ancient Runes, was finishing up a solo stroll around the Great Lake. She regretted nothing about coming to Hogwarts – the students were delightful, the subject matter was interesting, the job was a much better use of her skills than doing translation work for Gringotts – but her room was unaccountably stuffy, even in midwinter. When it got too much for her to bear, she'd often walk around the grounds to clear her head. It had occurred to her that she should try some kind of charm to alleviate the problem, but, she thought, it was as good an excuse as any to enjoy the beautiful, sprawling grounds. On such an icy, misty day she'd assumed she'd have the outdoors to herself, but as she headed back towards the school, she saw an unmistakable figure approaching through the fog.

Professor Caroline Elliot strode towards her. "Professor McKenzie, hello."

Kate wondered briefly if she was in trouble. Was there something amiss on the grounds? "Professor Elliot. Are you out on a walk?"

"I couldn't focus in my office, I thought the fresh air might do me good. Although now I'm wondering if perhaps it's a little too fresh."

"No, it's just right. I don't know what sort of Dark Magic Professor Penrose used on the Runes quarters during his time, but the air in my room's stale as anything." It was meant conversationally, but Kate realised as soon as she finished her sentence that the first proper thing she'd said to the Headmistress since being employed at her school was a petty complaint. She inwardly kicked herself, "I mean-"

"If it's a problem, I can have Professor Park work a cooling charm in there if you think it would help?"

"I should have thought of that; I'll ask her the next time I see her. And... I didn't mean to complain, it's just, you know, tough, getting used to this mad old building."

Unexpectedly, Caroline laughed. "You're telling me; I've barely left the place since I showed up here age 11 and it still manages to surprise me."

Keen to keep the conversation going, Kate nodded, "Really?"

"Mmm. The Headteacher's Office is a place of neverending mysteries. There's secret passages, the brickwork changes when it likes, and I'm sure that not all the portraits are of former Heads."

"Sounds exciting."

"Yes, but not the best atmosphere in which to get work done. Like your hothouse, apparently."

Kate considered for a moment how nosy she was allowed to be with the Headmistress. She decided to just go for it. "You haven't got too much work to do over Christmas, have you?"

"Actually, no. I was planning to get a head start on it, get it all out of the way, but there's no rush. Term hasn't even ended yet, despite what the miscreants running around in there think." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "and you?"

"Oh, I'm more or less the same. There aren't classes on Friday, so I was thinking, if I got it all done before then, I'd treat myself to a trip to Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade, what a good idea. I've not been to Hogsmeade in ages." The way Caroline said it, it felt rude _not_ to extend an invitation. Kate had been waiting for an opening to get to know the beautiful but aloof Headmistress for months. The stars had aligned, but Kate still stumbled a little.

"Would you, I mean, if you're free, would you like to, you know, come too?"

Caroline's blue eyes twinkled. "Friday afternoon, you said?"

"If it fits in with your schedule."

"It fits perfectly," Caroline said, the corners of her mouth turning up the slightest bit, making Kate's stomach do a startling impression of a flutterby bush, "would you like to come to my office after lunch on Friday, then, and we can walk together?"

"Yes," Kate managed, "that sounds great. Is the password still Wolfsbane?"

"No, not for ages. It's currently Polyjuice."

Kate nodded, "see you soon then."

Caroline nodded back, her smile enigmatic, and then continued on her walk.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

As she removed her glasses and looked up from the scroll she was perusing, Caroline was aware firstly of a number of remarks from the portraits dotted around her office, and secondly of a stunning figure in winter robes of green and blue tartan.

"Professor Kate. McKenzie. Kate." she said, undignified. Dippet laughed at her from his elaborate frame.

"If you're not ready, I can come back-"

"Don't be silly, I'll be ready in a moment."

Ever since she'd paid Madam Malkin an exorbitant sum for her green velvet winter robes, Caroline had felt quite dashing in them, knowing how the cut was flattering to her figure, how the material fell just so. As she retrieved the robes from her coatstand, she considered briefly how she'd not once felt under-dressed before. Kate seemed suitably impressed with them, though, and after petting Graustark goodbye, Caroline was ready to leave.

Even in summer Hogsmeade managed to feel wintery, with its winding, cobbled streets and the tired old buildings slouching cosily against each other. In December, the village transformed into a scene from inside a snowglobe. Fresh, fluffy snow topped every surface, and it sparkled in the golden glow from the windows of every shop. The street was bustling with a mix of students and locals, but the presence of so many people, rather than making her feel exposed, gave Caroline a feeling of anonymity. Using the cold and crowds as an excuse, she linked arms with Kate and the two of them walked in perfect step towards the Three Broomsticks.

Once inside, Caroline pulled Kate, somehow managing to keep their arms linked despite the volume of people milling around, towards a table at the back of the pub. Their table, like the others in the pub, was festively topped with what appeared to be a poinsettia crossed with a venus flytrap. Caroline delicately levitated it onto the nearby windowsill, and then uttered another quick charm to stop the decrepit table from wobbling. "Is this all right?"

Kate pulled her stool to be nearer Caroline's, presumably because of the noise from the rest of the pub, "it's perfect."

"Right then. What can I get you?"

* * *

Half an hour later, the two women were both on their third tankard of butterbeer. The alcohol content was extremely low, but it had just enough of a kick to warm from the inside out. Kate was just about managing to refer to the Headmistress, at her insistence, as Caroline, and Kate was surprised at how easily the conversation flowed. They started off on lighter topics; Caroline mentioned how she'd divorced her husband, John, four years ago, Kate talked about her old job doing translation work for Gringotts. It was lighthearted, but there was a slight tension that Kate couldn't put her finger on.

"What do you make of Greenwood teaching Care of Magical Creatures?" It was asked causally, as if she wanted Kate's opinion on a new hat. Kate got the feeling, though, that asking for opinions on professional matters was not something Caroline did lightly.

"I think she's a good teacher. She works hard and she definitely knows her stuff. I had Cynthia Probus telling me all about nogtails before class last week, and I can't usually get her to talk about anything."

"Well I'm glad someone's enjoying them. Did you know I had to personally apply for a permit to allow nogtails on the grounds? I was chatting to Dippet's portrait the other day and he told me that, when he was headmaster, they could have dragons on school property without so much as a by your leave."

"Longing for simpler times?"

"Well, Dippet also had to deal with that basilisk during his tenure, so perhaps unlimited beasts roaming the halls isn't ideal. Unless – Parseltongue's not among your linguistic talents, is it?"

Kate nearly choked on her butterbeer. "I'm afraid not."

"Shame. It'd be quite fun to have a giant pet snake, don't you think? It'd go some way to making Professor Aspinall respect me."

Though it was clearly a sensitive topic, Kate couldn't ignore what Caroline said. "Caroline... she does respect you. All the staff do. The board of governors wouldn't have appointed you if they didn't think you were up to the task. Although..."

"What?"

"You having a giant pet snake probably wouldn't do wonders for certain Slytherin stereotypes..."

Caroline's eyes widened in shock, "They're not-"

"Caroline, I'm joking." Kate said, smiling at Caroline across the rickety table, "although, seriously; I've heard the rumours about Professor Finnemore retiring. You don't have to tell me if they're true or not, but please promise me you won't make Dobson Head of Slytherin when she goes?"

"Oh, absolutely not! Merlin's beard, can you imagine?" Caroline took a long drink of butterbeer and then, paradoxically, looked quite sober. "Although – and this is between you and me – it's only a matter of time before who I want as Head of House stops mattering altogether."

Kate leaned in, honoured to be trusted with sensitive information. "Really?"

"Mmm. I had to really fight to get Greenwood the Care of Magical Creatures position. She's my stepsister, and some of the governors were concerned it would show favouritism. Of course, some of the governors were concerned that she's a half-blood, but they'd never say so."

The disdain in Caroline's voice for those questioning Greenwood's aptitude based on her parentage was clear. As Kate heard it, she felt relieved that Caroline wasn't one of _those_ Slytherins and then immediately guilty for holding the anti-Slytherin prejudice she'd joked about earlier. Still, Kate (along with the rest of the Wizarding world) knew that Caroline was formerly a Dawson, and the Dawsons were one of the oldest, most influential families in the community. They hadn't become influential by marrying muggles.

While her inner thoughts spiraled, Kate asked, "What did they do?"

"The usual tutting and concerns about whether she was qualified on _all_ counts to teach about _magical_ creatures. I'm all for major decisions about the school being made by elected representatives, but not the gaggle of crusty old racists we've got at present."

Kate burst out laughing and the two of them instinctively looked around to make sure nobody was listening.

"_Aparecium,_" flicking her wrist just so, Caroline performed a revealing charm for good measure. "Idle talk and all that," she said, matter-of-factly, "I don't know if I'm being paranoid, but it _would_ be embarrassing to have the shortest term as Headmistress in the history of Hogwarts. My mother would die of shame."

* * *

After several hours, neither woman really knew how many butterbeers they'd made their way through, but Caroline felt the pleasant, warming buzz stay with her, even when she and Kate eventually left the pub and were back outside in the freezing cold.

The crowds in Hogsmeade had died down while they'd been in the pub, so Caroline found herself without an excuse to link arms with Kate again. They made their way back to Hogwarts together, though, not missing a beat in their conversation. "Are you going home for Christmas?"

"Only for a few days. My dad's at St Mungo's, so I'll make sure to pop in and see him. My mum's a Portkey away in Cambridge, so I'll see her and my siblings for Christmas day. I don't want her tiring herself out with loads of visitors, though, so I'll head back here after and leave her to dote on the grandkids. How about you?"

"I'll be going to Yorkshire with the boys to my mother's house, too. It'll be good to see her, and her husband. They're very sweet." Caroline considered a witty remark about her mother's love life compared to her own, but decided it was too self-deprecating and might embarrass Kate. "Actually, I expect Greenwood and her lot will come over, so it'll be quite busy."

"Will you be home for long?"

"No, the boys have made arrangements to stay with their dad in the new year, and I'll go mad if I have to spend too much time with my mother, so I'll be back here... probably just after Boxing Day."

Kate nodded. "Are there any students staying over Christmas?"

"Not this year, fortunately. Although it meant I had to break it to the house-elves that they all have to take a day off, and they were distraught. There was so much _wailing_. Anyway, by the sound of it, I think we'll have the castle all to ourselves."

Kate glanced at her, eyes wide.

"Oh, don't look like that. I'm sure we'll find something to do."

* * *

**A/N: -** Some terms:

Slytherin/Gryffindor/Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw: The 4 houses of Hogwarts. Which house a person is put into depends on their personality. Slytherins are typically ambitious and self-preserving. The others are brave, hardworking, and intelligent respectively.

Portraits: The Headteacher's office contains portraits of all the past headteachers. Because they are Wizard paintings, the people in them can move/talk.

Nogtails/Basilisk: Magical creatures; nogtails look like pigs and are harmless, basilisks look like giant snakes and are not.

Muggle: Non-wizarding. Our society, essentially.

Hogsmeade: A village near to Hogwarts; students and teachers often make trips there at weekends.

Gringotts: Wizarding bank.

St Mungos: Wizarding hospital.

Quidditch: Sport played on broomsticks. Chaser is an offensive position in the game.


	2. Chapter 2

It's a bit of a dark week for Last Tango fans, so I hope this cheers someone up. Huge thanks to those who left comments, they brightened my day considerably.

* * *

Christmas came and went. Kate was pleased to see that St Mungo's had decorated her dad's ward - there was a string of tinsel around his headboard, and on Christmas day they served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. While he wasn't particularly lucid, he seemed cheered by the atmosphere and was chuffed to see Kate, even if he mistook her for her mother. Seeing the rest of the family was nice; her nieces and nephews were growing startlingly tall, and provided a handy distraction from her mother and siblings cornering her and asking if there was anybody new in her life.

She received a few surprise presents over Christmas: a tartan scarf from her mother (no matter that the only temperature-related complaint Kate had mentioned in her owls was the heat in her room, her mother was worried she'd be cold in Scotland), some vinyl records from her siblings (to go with the turntable she'd acquired last year), and an unnerving selection of joke-shop sweets from her nieces and nephews. But more unexpected than any of that was when, on her first evening back at Hogwarts, Caroline's owl appeared at her window, bearing an invitation to drinks and mince pies in the Headmistress' quarters the following night. Powerless to do anything but RSVP 'yes', she handed the scroll back to the barn owl and watched her fly off into the snow.

* * *

Since Kate hadn't been to Caroline's quarters before, and navigating Hogwarts was a challenge at the best of times, the two women had agreed that they'd meet at Caroline's office first. Kate was secretly pleased, because it gave her another chance to take in the wonderful room.

She showed up exactly on time.

"I didn't say it before," she admitted, taking in all of Caroline's trinkets that nestled in the nooks and crannies, the candles on every available surface, the snoozing portraits, "but I love your office."

"Well, it's certainly an improvement on having to live in the dungeons," Caroline said, sorting the papers on her desk with deliberate flicks of her wand, "whenever the firey Runes room seems too much, be grateful you don't teach Potions."

"I will do. Are you used to living up here yet?"

Caroline turned her attention fully to Kate. "Honestly? Its still doesn't feel real some days. I've had the post for over two years now, but, between you and me, I don't always feel like I've got everything under control."

Kate nodded in understanding. Then, looking to Caroline for permission, she gently tickled Graustark under her chin. The owl closed her eyes in pleasure. "She's beautiful."

"Yes, she's too bossy for her own good sometimes, but I don't know where I'd be without her."

"What's she called?"

"Graustark. Her name's actually from a muggle film."

"Beverly of Graustark?"

"You know it?"

Kate was pleased to find some common ground. "I do. In fact, you know my toad for the Frog Choir? He's called Beethoven, after the muggle composer."

"Both your parents are magic, aren't they?"

"Yes," Kate hesitated for a moment over just how much information to divulge, but decided to go for it. If it all went badly, she could just cloister herself in her room and stew away for the next fifty years, "but I actually dated a muggle for a few years, between leaving Hogwarts and coming back as a teacher."

Caroline looked taken aback. "Goodness. I went through an interest-in-muggle-things phase just to annoy my mother. I can't imagine what she'd have done if I'd started seeing one. What happened to him?"

Kate winced. "Things didn't work out. I got my job at Gringotts. I spent too much time with the Wizarding World, so she left."

Caroline's face was impressively difficult to read. "I see. Are you seeing anyone now?"

"No, not for a while."

"Right."

Kate was used to negative responses to that particular piece of information about herself, but Caroline's reaction was impossible to make out. Before Kate could start beating herself up for making things awkward, Caroline spoke.

"Right, then. Shall we head off?"

* * *

Butterbeer was one thing; the firewhiskey that Caroline had, to Kate's surprise, produced from a draw in her desk was another matter entirely. Rather than just providing the women with a warming kick with which to fight the cold, after a few glasses they were lying on opposite sides of Caroline's sofa, their feet tangled together in the middle. A few crumbs on a china plate were all that remained of the mince pies.

Kate was honoured to have been invited into what was clearly Caroline's inner sanctum. The open-plan living area was very reminiscent of her office; the candles and tasteful knick-knacks were still present, but the space was much cosier. She realised, finishing her firewhiskey, that nestling against Caroline was probably contributing to that.

Caroline sat up a little, leaning her head against the armrest. "Kate?"

Kate put her whiskey glass down on Caroline's coffee table; to drink any more would definitely be a mistake. "Yes?"

"When we were students, we would have been at Hogwarts at the same time for a bit, wouldn't we?" Neither woman was drunk enough to slur, but Kate could feel that the usual barriers that were present during their conversations had been lowered a little.

"Yes, we were. You were five years above me, though."

Caroline looked thoughtful. "I imagine, different year and different houses, we wouldn't have crossed paths. I don't think I remember you from school."

"I suppose you wouldn't," Kate said, pushing herself into a fully seated position. Their feet were still touching. "I was a Chaser on the Gryffindor team for a few years, but that would've been after you left. Other than that, I was fairly quiet, never got in trouble..."

Caroline nodded along, but then looked troubled as a teasing smile made its way onto Kate's face.

"...until, one evening, a certain Head Girl caught me in school out of hours and I got detention for a month."

"No! You-"

"She was _terrible_, Caroline. I insisted that I was sorry, I was just going for a walk because I couldn't sleep, but she wouldn't have any of it."

"Kate, I-"

"Professor Waldingfield was _so_ disappointed with me. Threatened to send an owl to my parents."

Looking mortified, Caroline just put her face in her hands and waited. "Are you finished?"

Kate was feeling quite pleased with herself. "I think I might be."

"That was _you_?"

"Guilty as charged."

"Kate, I'm _so_ sorry! It wasn't personal, I was just... Merlin, you must have _hated_ me."

"Surprisingly, no." Kate shook her head a little too vigourously to underscore her point, and it made Caroline's living room swirl unpleasantly. "You were one of the prefects who took us through to the Great Hall when I came to Hogwarts first of all. I remember half-hoping I'd be put in Slytherin so we'd be in the same house. You looked so... commanding. I really admired you, you know."

"I had no idea."

"I have to say, I was a bit gutted when you turned me in that time, but it was because I was hoping you'd join me on my midnight sojourn. Stupid, I know."

"It wasn't stupid – honestly, I wasn't normally so... draconian. That was first term in my seventh year, wasn't it?"

"It would have been, yeah."

"I was going through something difficult. Personally. It doesn't justify that I took it out on you, but I... I was young and dramatic."

Kate leaned forward. "What happened?"

Caroline sighed. "Do you remember Esmeralda Stoakes? She was a Gryffindor prefect in my year."

"She was on the Quidditch team, wasn't she?"

"That's her. Anyway, when we were sixth-years, she and I... well, we started going out."

Kate narrowly managed to avoid falling off the sofa in surprise. "You and Stoakes?"

Caroline didn't seem to notice Kate's reaction, probably because she was busy studying her whiskey glass, swirling the liquid around. "Yes. We were together for nearly a year, but then her family found out, and my family found out and it was all a bit of a disaster. The whole thing was very humiliating, and the long and short of it was that we weren't to see each other any more."

"So that's why-"

"That's why I was so harsh on you. I'd had all my control taken away, so I decided to bring down the hammer on a poor old second-year." Caroline looked very concerned. "I do hope you can forgive me."

"Caroline, you're very sweet but I was only teasing, I'm long over it. Although, after hearing your side of things, it's actually quite ironic."

"What is?"

"Well, you were out and about looking for vengeance because you broke up with a girl. And I was wondering the lonely halls of Hogwarts at night because I couldn't get a girl out of my head either."

"Really? Who?"

Kate fixed her with a look of perfect incredulity. Caroline looked confused for a beat or two, then astounded.

"Are you serious?"

"I was thirteen! I fancied you. It's not a big deal, it's just funny in retrospect."

Looking unconvinced by Kate's attempts to trivialise her confession, Caroline nodded.

There were a few moments of silence as both women digested all the new information. Kate was torn between wanting another drink and knowing that another drink was the worst idea in the world. She eventually decided to just continue the conversation as normally as she could.

"She works at Amanuensis Quills now, you know."

"Esme does?"

"Yes, I'd see her about sometimes in Diagon Alley. She married one of the... Epstein boys, I think. Has kids of her own."

Caroline was back to staring at her glass. "Well. I hope she's happy."

Kate felt a little cautious. "Are _you_ happy?"

"I s'pose I am. I've got the boys, they're wonderful. I'm really enjoying being Headmistress, even though there's tons of pressure to get things right. I'm happier without John, but I do miss, you know... having someone. To talk to, share stuff with..."

Kate felt that she masked her hurt rather well, but Caroline obviously caught it because she flushed and fumbled. "I meant romantically," she said, clearly trying to save the situation, "I mean, where am I going to meet someone while doing _this_ job?"


	3. Chapter 3

Gillian was genuinely pleased when she opened the door of her hut and saw Caroline standing on the doorstep. She'd seen Caroline not five days ago for Christmas, but now they were both back at Hogwarts; Caroline, presumably, because she was married to the job, and Gillian to look after the animals. It was a job she loved, and she was forever grateful to Caroline for her hand in securing it – she just missed Raff and her dad dearly. It was nice to see a friendly face.

"Caroline! What timing, I've just put the kettle on."

"Thanks." Caroline moved to take off her outer winter robe as she stepped into the hut and immediately thought better of it. "Merlin's beard, it's cold in here!"

"It's cold back in Halifax and all." Gillian agreed, rummaging around the back of her cupboard for her least chipped mugs, "you can just sort of move all that off the table."

Gillian used a rusty teaspoon to gesture at the table, which was laden with an assortment of papers, animal feed, owl feathers and at least one bag of mooncalf dung. Caroline dutifully shifted the debris, and made no comment on either it or the general state of Gillian's hut, which hadn't been tidied since before the holidays. A few boughs of evergreen topped the wonky picture frames – Gillian's idea of decorating the place for Christmas - but even they looked a little past their prime.

"So what's up with you?" Gillian said, setting down two overfull mugs and parking herself on the chair next to Caroline's.

"With me? Nothing,"

"Well there's obviously something."

"I just came here to see you!"

"Spit it out." Life was too short for this sort of dancing around the subject.

Caroline took a few moments of thoughtful silence. "Are... there any new men in your life?"

"What?"

Defensive; "_What_?"

"Okay, Caroline, I don't know what game this is, but I'll play along. I'm still seeing Robbie. It's hard, because he's a muggle and probably still resents me, but we're muddling through. There. Anything fresh with _you_?"

"Er." This was a side of Caroline that Gillian hadn't seen before, and she was enjoying it very much.

"You're seeing someone!"

"That's not-"

"It's not one of the students, is it?"

"Gillian!"

"Another teacher?"

"Oh, this was a bad idea."

"Oooh, _who_? Not Dobson? You're not having sweet Slytherin-"

"Right, first off, why is it that you think I'd be interested in people twenty years my junior? Isn't that more your bag?"

"Ouch. Low blow, Elliot."

"And secondly, I'm not seeing anyone."

"_Yet_."

Caroline sighed in defeat, but looked so beaten that Gillian couldn't feel any joy for it. She pushed Caroline's mug closer to her, in a gesture that was meant to be comforting but succeeded only in sloshing tea over most of the table. "C'mon, tell me what's up."

Caroline sighed. "You know Kate McKenzie? The Runes professor?"

"Not well or anything, but I know who you mean."

"Well..." Caroline fumbled with her mug.

"What's she done?" Gillian was preparing to muster up all the hate in the world for McKenzie if she'd stolen Caroline's man, or whatever else might have happened to make Caroline so sheepish.

"I think I really like her."

Gillian's plotting came to a dead standstill. "What?"

"And I think – I _think_ – she likes me."

Gillian quashed the surprise she felt at Caroline's revelation. She remembered all the times that Caroline had been there for her over the years – providing emotional support when men were tossers, talking sense into her when she was being a pillock... and, of course, suggesting the position of Care of Magical Creatures when she was at a particularly low point. She definitely owed Caroline this, even if it was completely unexpected. Time for some Hufflepuff loyalty, Gillian-style.

"Ask her out then, you daft cow."

"You what?"

"You like her. Sounds a lot like she likes you. I don't know what sort of sage advice you're looking for, but faffing about being worried isn't going to get you laid, is it?"

"But it's not that simple..."

"Why isn't it that simple, though? Because you work together? That's not been a problem for teachers at Hogwarts before, has it?"

"No, but-"

"Have you actually been out with anyone since your divorce?"

"What? No."

"Caroline, that was four years ago. As your friend and sister-in-law and... person you work with, I demand that you ask her out."

Caroline looked pained.

"Is it because you're both women? You won't be the first gay headteacher at Hogwarts. I bet you nobody will care."

"Have you, you know, _met_ my mother?"

"If she says anything, my dad'll talk her round. Come on Caroline, I've never heard you talk about anyone like this. McKenzie must be something special. Don't cock this up."

Caroline sipped her tea, clearly trying to think of more excuses. Gillian watched her, pleased for her friend. Gillian was usually so neck-deep in her own personal problems that she had never taken much notice of Caroline's. Not that there were many problems to speak of; Caroline had just finished finalising her divorce when their parents had struck up their late romance, and she'd simply thrown herself into her work at Hogwarts ever since. As she thought about it, Gillian realised that Caroline's revelation that she fancied McKenzie wasn't startling because she was a woman, but because it revealed that Caroline had desires at all.

"I'll think about what you said." Caroline said finally, standing up from the table.

"Yes, well. You'd better."

"You'll tell no one."

"Who would I tell? The hippogriffs?"

"_Gillian._"

"Yes, miss."

"Thanks for the tea."

"Anytime. And you'd better come back and share details! There's tea in it for you. I'll go to Hogsmeade and get, I dunno, lesbian biscuits."

In a move that could only be performed by Caroline Elliot, she looked despairing at Gillian's off-beat sense of humour as she squeezed her hand in thanks for the support. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck, Caz!" Gillian shouted after her.

* * *

Gillian's unconventional but much-needed support was what made Caroline decide to invite Kate over again. While Caroline had been the one to extend the last invitation, she was also responsible for sort of ruining things right at the end of the evening by going off on a whiskey-and-nerves-fuelled ramble about how she might meet someone romantically. The finer details were a bit blurry, but she did know that she'd hurt Kate's feelings, and was anxious to make amends.

She was chewing the tip of her quill – a habit her mother thought she had broken when she was a teenager – and fretting over how to begin her message when a tapping at the window drew her attention.

She opened the window for a handsome horned owl she recognised as belonging to the school. He extended his leg and allowed Caroline to remove the attached message. The owl hooted with satisfaction as Caroline fed him a few of Graustark's treats and waited patiently as Caroline read the note. She instantly identified it as being from Kate. The note was short, so there wasn't much to read into. It was an invitation to meet in the kitchen, of all places, in two hours' time. Taking her quill, she replied in the affirmative, and retied the note to the owl's leg.

* * *

Caroline still felt guilty for the house-elves' day off, and there was clearly some resentment from them; she felt the glares of a dozen angry eyes bore into her as soon as she stepped into the giant kitchen. Fortunately, Kate had already arrived and was there to save her.

"Caroline!"

Kate was sat at one of the four long tables that ran the length of the room. She didn't seem very resentful of Caroline's faux-pas from the other night, and invited her to sit down, then handed her a spoon.

"You should try some of this."

Kate indicated to the gigantic Christmas pudding heaving on a plate in front of her. It was certainly larger than any pudding Caroline's mother's house-elf had ever made, and the thin plume of smoke that feathered out from the very top suggested that it had recently been set on fire.

"What even is this?" Caroline asked, not sure where to begin.

"Good question. You know Pokey, the house-elf?"

"I think so. He's the old one?"

"Well. Firstly, I found out why my room's always so warm. Pokey lives in a room attached to my classroom; I didn't even know, but he has the heating turned up full." Kate leaned over and whispered in Caroline's ear, "he's so old, I don't have the heart to ask him to turn it down. Besides, I'm pretty used to my room, now."

"What does that have to do with...?"

"I was coming back to my room after Christmas, and he was cleaning in there. I suppose he didn't expect me to be back so soon, and after I calmed him down, he mentioned how sad all the elves were at having so little work to do over the holidays."

"Don't I know it."

"And I mentioned, offhand, that I missed the food here, especially because, at home, neither me nor my mother has time to make nut-free versions of certain Christmas foods."

"Right."

"Then, earlier, I found a note from Pokey, telling me about this."

Caroline raised a careful eyebrow at the dessert. "I see."

"No, you should have some. Look at it, Caroline, there's no way I'll get through this."

"Right." Caroline took a modest helping of the dessert onto the plate that was set at her seat.

Kate took a few forkfulls of her own portion and Caroline did the same. If strange, nut-free pudding was what it took to get her back into Kate's good graces, she'd happily try some.

"What do you think?"

"It's not bad. And it certainly would have been a shame if you'd gone into the new year without having had some Christmas pudding."

Kate smiled wryly. "I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, but it's hard to tell when you're being facetious."

The comment was meant in a friendly, teasing way, but Caroline decided that it was a good time to sort out the communication issues between them. She put down her fork. "I'm sorry."

"Caroline, it's only pudding."

"No, I meant for last night. I didn't mean to... upset you in any way."

"I should be the one apologising. I made things awkward, and I truly didn't mean to."

"How did you make things awkward?"

"You know. When we talked about that time you gave me detention. And then I said I fancy you."

"Fancied."

"What?"

"Last night. Before, you definitely said 'fancied', past tense."

"Oh. I mean- I meant-"

"McKenzie, you speak about thirty languages. You don't make mistakes about verb tenses."

"Right. Okay." Kate pushed the ridiculous pudding away from them a little, and turned on the long bench to face Caroline. "So I didn't. Is this any less awkward?"

"That depends on what you think of this," Caroline said, and kissed her.

The kiss didn't last for a particularly long time, but it was definitely enough to confirm all of Caroline's feelings for the other woman. If the hands cupping her face and - tongue, that was definitely tongue – were any indication, Kate was on the same page, too.

"Kate..."

"Mmm?"

"I think the house-elves are watching us."


	4. Chapter 4

This is (subject to change) an epilogue. Sorry this is a short story; I hope very much that you've all enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who's left a comment, and thanks especially to Trouble with Trebles and SGAConvert for being lovely.

I've tweaked the previous chapters slightly, especially the last half of 3, and this is a good, happy ending, I promise!

* * *

The same day that the story broke in the Daily Prophet, Celia sent her a Howler. Caroline supposed, leaning back wearily in her chair, the ashes of the angry letter dusted all over the work on her desk, that they'd had a good run. Three weeks, from kissing in front of nosy, gossipy house-elves who lived closely with nosier, more gossipy children, many of whom had parents in high places. They'd had their privacy for longer than expected, and now she wouldn't have to worry about the sword of Damocles falling at any moment. She could have done without some of her mother's particular word choices, but Caroline decided she'd like to live in hope that Gillian had been right about Alan talking her round. The Howler had arrived before the newspaper, suggesting that the Prophet wasn't Celia's source. Caroline wasn't sure how to feel about that, but decided to file it away to worry about later. More urgently, she needed to talk to Kate.

She felt an assortment of amused eyes follow her all the way to the Runes room. Caroline didn't even bother wondering how the portraits in the hallway had found out – logically, the portraits couldn't read the paper, but she considered the futility of hiding a secret in a building where the walls quite literally had eyes. She strode past a group of giggling fifth-years and rapped smartly on the door to Kate's living quarters.

"Hello?"

"Professor McKenzie, it's me."

A slightly garbled _alohomora_ came from the other side of the door, followed by a click and a wooden groan as the door gently swung open to reveal early-morning Kate. She was still half in her pyjamas, wand between her teeth, and some kind of hair-smoothing potion in her hair and on her hands. Caroline's rational mind realised that it was 7.30am and while she had been up and dressed for hours, she had no reason to expect that Kate would be ready, but she was mostly overwhelmed with a huge rush of warmth in her chest at the sight. The deep-welled anxiety that had been bubbling away since the morning's unwanted post dissipated a little.

"Is this a bad time?"

Kate dropped her wand onto her bed, sat at a small dressing table and continued her ablutions. "I can do my hair and talk. It's probably best that you're made aware of my morning rituals sooner rather than later."

Flirtatious banter was definitely more fun than discussing her mother. Or the ten-minute speech she had brewing about why the freedom of the press was a ridiculous concept with no place in civilised society. "Oh really?"

Kate worked the potion through her hair, keeping eye contact with Caroline in the mirror. "It's made more than one woman run for the hills in the past."

"I like to think I'm made of stronger stuff than that."

"Very Gryffindor of you."

"Yes, well; you're rubbing off on me."

Kate simultaneously snapped a hairband around her perfectly coiffed bun and gave Caroline the most sultry look she'd ever seen on another person. "I'll say."

Using unprecedented force of will, Caroline dragged her thoughts back to the reason she'd visited in the first place. She could either warn Kate that the cat was out of the bag, or carry her onto the as-yet-unmade bed and have her way with her. One option was infinitely more appealing, but Caroline's ability to focus on long-term goals was unassailable.

"Kate, I..."

Kate turned around from the mirror, all seduction vanishing the moment she heard Caroline's uncertain tone, "What's wrong?"

"This morning. The Daily Prophet. Also, my mother."

Kate's eyes widened. "They know?"

"Apparently so. It's probably for the best, but I thought you should know."

Kate's face fell. "For the best?"

"Yes. Long-term, I mean. It would be detrimental in the end."

"Right."

"I thought I should come and tell you. I didn't want you to find out from someone else."

Caroline thought she was doing rather a good job of sensitively conveying the news. Then, suddenly; "Caroline, are you breaking up with me?"

"What? What on earth makes you think that?"

"'Detrimental'; 'for the best'; I know you've not been in a relationship for a while, but you do realise those aren't the most positive phrases?"

"I meant- oh, this is coming out wrong. _Everyone knowing_ is probably for the best. Us hiding all the time would be detrimental."

"Right," Kate said, visibly relieved. "So, just to clarify, you're still happy to see me even if people know about our relationship?"

"Yes."

"Our lesbian relationship."

"Yes."

"And by 'people', I do mean the students, the staff, the parents, your mother, the governors, the ministry and the public at large."

"I am aware."

"Right. That's good to know."

"Did you think I would-"

Kate shrugged, trying to brush off Caroline's concern. "Well, I know it's not easy for you. And you're a very public figure."

"You'll be a public figure after all this, as well. Think you can handle it?"

"I'll muster up some bravery somehow. Knowing you're in this for the long-term is definitely a confidence-booster."

"I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. I really do like you, Kate. So much." She pulled Kate in for a kiss that was meant to be gentle and reassuring but, like so many of their kisses, quickly grew more heated, "is there anything I can do to make it up for you?"

"You can try not to mess up my hair," Kate said, gently pushing Caroline back against the bed. She deftly unclasped the emerald brooch that kept Caroline's robes fastened. "I won't have time to redo it before class, and now they'll _know_ it was your fault."


End file.
